The HSPT test: what is on it, how long it is, and the rules
The HSPT (High School Placement Test) has 298 multiple-choice questions in five sections: Verbal Skills 60 (16 minutes), Quantitative Skills 52 (30), Reading 62 (25), Mathematics 64 (45) and Language 60 (25). It takes about 2.5 hours, calculators are not allowed and wrong answers cost nothing.
Updated October 23, 2026 · by AdmitTest
The five sections
The question counts are from STS's HSPT Interpretive Manual (pages 1 and 2). STS does not publish the minutes for each section; the minutes below are the ones the Archdiocese of Washington and other diocese pages give, and they agree with each other.
| Section | Questions | Time | Per question |
|---|---|---|---|
| Verbal Skills | 60 | 16 min | about 16 s |
| Quantitative Skills | 52 | 30 min | about 35 s |
| Reading | 62 | 25 min | about 24 s |
| Mathematics | 64 | 45 min | about 42 s |
| Language | 60 | 25 min | about 25 s |
| All five | 298 | 141 min |
The first two sections, Verbal and Quantitative, are what STS calls the cognitive skills: reasoning with words and numbers. The last three, Reading, Mathematics and Language, are the basic skills taught in school. STS designed the battery to be taken in its entirety, in one sitting.
What each section asks
The skills are STS's own descriptions. The numbers in brackets are the counts on the one sample form shown in the manual's score report, so a real form may differ a little.
- Verbal Skills: verbal classification, which word does not belong (17); synonyms (13); logic, true, false or uncertain (11); analogies (10); antonyms (9).
- Quantitative Skills: number series (15); number manipulation, short word puzzles with numbers (15); non-geometric comparison (12); geometric comparison (10).
- Reading: comprehension of passages (40: informational text 30, literary text 10) and vocabulary (22). The comprehension skills include main idea, details, inference, cause and effect, purpose, character, plot, theme and figurative language.
- Mathematics: numbers and numeration including word problems (29), geometry (12), statistics and probability (9), measurement (7) and algebra (7).
- Language: composition (20), usage (18), punctuation (10), spelling (10) and capitalization (2).
The rules on test day
- No calculator. "Calculators are not permitted for the Mathematics subtest", says STS's page for parents; the manual says the same for Quantitative Skills.
- Scratch work is fine on scratch paper or in the test booklet.
- No penalty for guessing. STS: points are not subtracted for incorrect answers. A blank can never score, so every question should get an answer.
- Each section is timed on its own, and the proctor announces the halfway point of each one.
- Paper and pencil. The standard HSPT is a paper booklet with a bubble answer sheet filled in with a #2 pencil (STS). One of STS's own tips is to check that each answer is bubbled on the right line.
- Four answer choices on most questions. STS does not state the number; the manual's note that a school's optional local test may have up to four choices points to A to D answer sheets. Verbal logic questions have three: true, false, uncertain.
Optional tests some schools add
STS lists two optional tests, Science (25 minutes) and Catholic Religion (20 minutes), with 40 questions each, given after the five sections. Their scores are not part of the Battery Composite. A school can also add its own local test of up to 40 questions. Your school's registration page says whether it uses any of them. Our practice tests cover the five main sections only.
Which version your child takes
- Schools give the secure HSPT, with a new form every year, leased to high schools and returned after testing. That is why no one can sell the real questions: STS says it never sells the HSPT to test preparation agencies or publishers.
- STS also has an online version that schools can use as a backup when on-site testing is not possible. Paper remains the default.
- Some dioceses offer the test in Spanish: the Archdiocese of Baltimore does at five schools.
- Retakes: STS recommends taking the HSPT only once; a school may allow a retest case by case.
Practicing the format
Knowing the format turns test day into something familiar: 60 verbal questions in 16 minutes feels very different from 64 math questions in 45. Our free practice test has the same five sections, counts and clocks, with questions written by us.
Free full-length HSPT practice test. 298 questions in five timed sections, no sign-up. Your child's score by section and by skill when it ends.
Start the free testCommon questions
How many questions are on the HSPT?
298 multiple-choice questions: Verbal Skills 60, Quantitative Skills 52, Reading 62, Mathematics 64 and Language 60, according to the STS HSPT manual.
How long is the HSPT?
STS puts the test administration at about 2.5 hours. The five sections take 16, 30, 25, 45 and 25 minutes, 141 minutes of testing, as the Archdiocese of Washington publishes them; it says to plan on about 3 hours with two short breaks.
What is on the HSPT?
Verbal Skills (synonyms, antonyms, analogies, verbal classification, logic), Quantitative Skills (number series, number manipulation, geometric and non-geometric comparisons), Reading (comprehension and vocabulary), Mathematics (numbers, measurement, geometry, algebra, statistics and probability) and Language (punctuation, capitalization, usage, spelling, composition).
Is a calculator allowed on the HSPT?
No. STS says calculators are not permitted for the Mathematics subtest, and its manual says the same for Quantitative Skills. Scratch paper or the test booklet may be used.
Is the HSPT on paper or online?
The standard HSPT is a paper booklet with a bubble answer sheet. STS also has an online version that schools can use as a backup when testing on site is not possible; the school decides.
Is there a science or religion section?
Only if the school adds one. STS offers optional Science and Catholic Religion tests (40 questions each, given last). Their scores are not part of the Battery Composite.